Sicilian dish featuring the best of summer. Always best made the day before and can be eaten warm or room temperature is preferable. The options to use are endless, stirred through pasta, on a bruschetta, as a starter with bread, a side dish with fish or just on it’s own
700g aubergine, cut into 2 cm dice
vegetable oil for frying
2 sticks celery, cut into 2 cm dice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
250g tinned plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tsp chilli flakes
60g capers
60g green olives, stoned and quartered
1 tbsp sugar
120ml passata
90ml wine vinegar (red or white will be fine)
40g toasted almond flakes (or pine nuts)
mint leaves for garnish
Lightly salt the aubergine cubes and leave in a colander in the sink for 30 minutes then pat dry with kitchen paper.
In a large pan heat 2cm of vegetable oil to 190C or when the aubergine sizzles in the oil. Fry in batches until golden and remove to drain on kitchen paper and lightly season each batch with salt.
Next fry the celery in the same oil until golden. Drain on kitchen paper. Safely discard the oil.
Heat the olive oil in a clean pan and add the onion with a generous pinch of salt and sauté gently for about 10 minutes until soft. Pour in the tomatoes along with chilli flakes and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes.
Stir in the capers, olives, sugar, passata and vinegar, bring to the boil, add the fried vegetables. Turn the heat to the lowest setting, cover with a lid and simmer for and hour checking every so often that it isn’t drying out.
Serve with warm or at room temperature scattered with nuts and mint.
Caponata (aubergine stew)
Ingredients
- 700 g aubergine cut into 2cm dice
- vegetable oil for frying
- 2 stick celery cut into 2cm dice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely sliced
- 250 g tinned plum tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 60 g capers
- 60 g green olives quartered
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 120 ml passata
- 90 ml white wine vinegar
- 40 g toasted almond flakes (or pine nuts)
- mint leaves to garnish
Instructions
- Lightly salt the aubergine cubes and leave in a colander in the sink for 30 minutes then pat dry with kitchen paper.
- In a large pan heat 2cm of vegetable oil to 190C or when the aubergine sizzles in the oil. Fry in batches until golden and remove to drain on kitchen paper and lightly season each batch with salt.
- Next fry the celery in the same oil until golden. Drain on kitchen paper. Safely discard the oil.
- Heat the olive oil in a clean pan and add the onion with a generous pinch of salt and sauté gently for about 10 minutes until soft. Pour in the tomatoes along with chilli flakes and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the capers, olives, sugar, passata and vinegar, bring to the boil, add the fried vegetables. Turn the heat to the lowest setting, cover with a lid and simmer for and hour checking every so often that it isn't drying out.
- Serve with warm or at room temperature sprinkled with nuts and mint.
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